1959 Impala What do you think I should do with it?

Give it a second chance and do the repair!!

 

I say try and fix the roof.
Turning it into an El Camino is way more work than 85% of the people on here are capable of.
I've got a 59 Elky and there is not alot from behind the steering wheel except the floor pan that is usable on an Elky.

 

fix it, it just looks like a lot. As many have mentioned, a good roof should not be too hard to find, the bad rust starts from the bottom and heads north.

 

Just fix the front window area and from there back use a 95 ish chevy wagon roof.

 

you could sell it to me i know a guy here in ohio with the parts i had a more door best car i ever owned damn i miss that thing

 

Definetley keep it!

If i can find 7 in a paddoc, in AUSTRALIA rusted out, With fine roofs, im sure america would be easy!!

Saw a 59 at a swap meet this morning, Man, They're a terrific car, keep it.

I've got a 60 bel air, Restoring it slowly, But i'd jump at that impala in a heart beat!


Good luck with it!

 

rust free and in ontario?? save it!
shouldn't be too hard to find a '59-'60 4dr roof.

 

Find a roof and fix it or fix the roof. As Mercdeuceman said there isn't much from the door posts back that match an Elkie and that is way more work than most guys are capable of.

It's a four door but all it needs from appearances is the roof fixed and go drive it. Don't strip the chrome because then it is just a plain ass 59 Chevrolet four door.

Or sell it to the guy who really wants a moredoor and be happy.

The other option would be to find a solid two door body missing the nose and swap pieces or an Elkie body and do the same but Solid Elkie bodies are few and far between as they usually are rust bait.

 

sell it to alfredfromchicago

 

Fix it.

 

Looks like a great, solid car to turn your creative side loose on. Think custom, do a 2 door conversion and roof swap, maybe even a carson top. Why spend a lot of time and energy to bring back a 4 door post, when it could be better spent to create a knock out, one of a kind, cool custom? JMO

 

Seems like an ideal candidate for a roof swap, but if you're going to do that, I'd use a 2 door post roof and doors. The roofs are the same, will swap right on.

I agree it should be saved, but I don't think I'd want to go through all that work and end up with a 4 door. Would be cool to have the world's only '59 Impala 2 door post, would go nice with my world's only '60 Fury 2 door post.

 

part it out, or find a wagon and transfer the good stuff to it.

 

Vert conversion is the first thing that comes to mind.

 

Over the years I've learned that most people are very free with my money and time. Seems as though that is the case here as well. Swapping out the roof sounds easy enough but, I'm sure there is more too it than that. Obviously, creating a wagon, elky, or 'vert conversion is more involved/costly, although I believe you were talking about swapping bodies. However, that may not be cost effective, either, as MercDeuceMan pointed out there is little that will interchange from the dash back. Bottom line is that you need to honestly assess your abilities/funds, which only you can do, before deciding on the next step. I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right move for you. Best Wishes!

 

i wud rebuild it original style, as a body man persay the roof is a easy fix!

 

My suggestion W'be Mild Custom...Old school thinking......

 

Have two shitty '60 4-doors and one '59 4-door Biscayne rotting up here with good tops and good glass. Come buy one and use it to fix that thing. I'll have to check with my buddy, but none of them will be very expensive, especially if we keep the dash out of the car.

Have at least one two-door sedan, too, if you want to go that route, and two rough hardtops. I think we must have about 10 59-60 Chevys up here.

 

AS previously stated, the roof might push out a LOT easier than you think. I also second the thought that making an ElCamino out of any car not bult as one is WAY more work than most people think and they never really pull it off correctly 99% of the time making the car look like crap.

Another thought is to put a roof from something completely different on it like from a 60-62 Ford Starliner or a 60 Dodge Pheonix or even a Cutlass vista cruiser roof with the cool windows in it. With that much damage it gives you the freedom to think outside the box custom wise wthout being accused of screwing something nice up.

 

I wonder if ANYONE ever accessorised(sp) a '59 Chevy as much as this drawing. I imagine Rosanne Barr & Tom Arnold driving something like this.



I agree with the majority here, fix it or sell it whole to someone that will.

 

roofs are overrated

 

I'm with Tman on this one.

I hear that 4 doors of any make and vintage make great door stops.

 

Well the more I think about it, I don't need another project car so who wants to tackle the project? I'd entertain some offers on it. I've had some people stop in when they saw it in my garage, that want to buy some parts off it. I think I'd like to keep the engine, but it just depends on the offer I guess.

 

A vintage roof repair write-up...just to keep it interesting...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449320

 

What a great article. It reminded me of my "Body & Fender Repair School" in 1965. We were taught to figure out how the metal got bent and what was holding it in that shape, then do everything in reverse. Sometimes easier said than done.
I never reached the skill level of the guys in that article but it brought back many memories of "old school" body repair. You can't do that to a Honda or a Toyota...not enough metal.

 

i say sell it to GM for another crash video !!!! LOL
seriously, make a one of a kind custom out of it, do sumpin crazy !
(no mudflaps, hood scoops, or whip antennas please)
looks like its worth keepin & doing something to
goat

 

What a shame. I'm sure it's worth fixing to someone who can love it for what it is.

 

Organ donor, don't forget the steering wheel. I'd help you pull the motor if you gave me the steering wheel.

 

Couple gallons of Bondo, smoothed out with the back of a rake or a dirt shovel , good to go.

 

Well after all the support to fix the car, I don't need another project, some parts of this car are going to help a current project, and everyone said to fix it, but no one wants to do it! So I'm going to part it out, and posted it tonight:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468220

Thanks Guys